The Angel Pack 10 - Home

by Walsh Maggie

  Evan blinked and looked into Raphael’s eyes. “I got to my feet and went to my father and kissed his head. Then I went to my mother and placed a kiss on her forehead and told them how sorry I was. I turned to the door, but it was locked. I didn’t know how I was going to get out of there. I turned to see if I could find something to help me, when a bright light hit me in the face, causing me to close my eyes. I shielded my face with my hand and looked at where the light was coming from. Across the room in the far corner was a small hole just big enough for my arm to fit through. Then I heard her voice. She said, ‘Go now before it’s too late,’ so I shifted and dove for the hole. I clawed and dug in a panic until the hole was big enough for me to squeeze through.

  “I stuck my head out to see if anyone was there and was shocked to find that it was night. It was pitch-black and not a star in the sky. There was no moon to give me light, so where had the bright light come from? Then it dawned on me. There was no light coming from the moon. It was time to run. My wolf vision should help me get through the trees without doing damage to myself, but this blackness was so thick that I had trouble seeing, which would also help hide me if they were coming for me.”

  Evan sighed heavily and looked toward the fireplace. “So I ran. I ran as fast as I could for as long as I could. I don’t know how I didn’t run into something, or off a cliff, but I didn’t. I just kept running blindly until the sun came up. Then I found a rock formation across a creek. I crossed the water, hoping it was enough to mask my scent. I hid behind the rocks for most of the day, listening and waiting for them to discover me, but they never did.”

  Evan laid his head on Raphael’s shoulder, and they just held onto each other. After an hour, they sat up and had some of the food that Raphael had prepared. They made light conversation about the boys and about what Micah was having done to the house to expand it. Sometime around mid-afternoon, the storm seemed to be slowing. They put on their winter gear and headed outside to start shoveling.

  They worked side-by-side for a few hours and managed to clear the patio, porch, walkways, and half of the driveway, as well as cleaned off Evan’s bus. Just as the sun began to dip below the horizon, the storm picked up strength and began to drop heavy snow. The wind whipped, and the temperature dropped. They returned to the house and took off their gear in the mudroom. Evan went to the kitchen to heat up the stew, and Raphael went to the living room to build a fire for the night.

  As Evan waited for the food to heat, he called Josh’s cell phone to make sure they were all okay. He was shocked to hear that Noah had given birth to triplets, but what shocked him more and made him want to run out of the house to get to his boys was that Mitchell had found his mate. The angel Nephilim Demetrius, who had been staying with Micah and Jesse for months to help Rory learn his magic, was Mitchell’s mate. Evan was happy for him but was worried at the same time. He was the only person who knew Mitchell’s whole story, and he knew Mitchell would be scared and would need him, but with the storm raging again outside, there was no way he could get to him. He could only hope that if Mitchell needed help, he would go to one of his brothers or maybe to Jesse or Micah. He told Josh to call him if there were any problems or if Mitchell needed him.

  After Josh promised, Evan hung up and prepared two bowls of stew for them. He placed everything they would need on a tray and brought it into the living room. Just as he arrived, Raphael was putting the protective screen over the fireplace. They both dug in and ate like they hadn’t eaten in days. Being wolves, they needed a lot of calories to sustain them, and considering they’d eaten very little so far that day and had used up a lot of calories and energy shoveling all that snow, they were both pretty hungry. The stew also helped to warm them from the inside out.

  After they finished their meal, they cleaned up and put all the dishes and leftovers away. Evan grabbed two beers, and they headed back to the living room to sit by the fire. Raphael turned on the television, and they found out that twenty-two inches had already fallen and the forecasters were predicting another eighteen to twenty inches by morning. After that, it looked like the storm would be over and head east.

  Raphael turned to Evan and told him that it was his turn. He began to tell Evan everything from his young days with Nigel Brighton, and about how he married and mated Maxine, and he didn’t stop until he got to the part where he arrived in Sanctuary. He told Evan about the love he shared with Alessandro and about how his heart broke when he learned his lover was dead.

  All those months spent out in the elements with Ash, and then Maddy, gave him time to grieve for the loss of his best friend and lover, as well as for the loss of his pack, but because of his visions, he knew that it was all supposed to happen. He still missed Alessandro. He and Maxine would always hold a special place in Raphael’s heart, but they were gone, and he was still alive. He believed the reason was so that he could find Evan. So that he could finally find his mate and hopefully bring them both peace.

  * * * *

  Raphael spoke for hours about his life, and Evan just listened. He was so fascinated by the life that his mate had lived. He could see the pain in Raphael’s eyes when he spoke of both Maxine and Alessandro, but Evan could also see that he was telling the truth when he said he mourned them but that the time had come to move on, that he would never forget them. They had helped him to be the man he was today, and he would always be grateful that they were a part of his life, but he needed to move forward.

  Evan was so moved by Raphael’s strength that it helped him to get up the courage to tell the man the rest of his story. Part of him was still scared that his mate would reject him, but after spending this time with him and getting to know him, Evan didn’t think that Raphael would. He had learned so much about who his mate was over the past few days that he wanted him more than anything. He wanted to belong to Raphael. He wanted his mate to claim him. He wanted to belong to him and share their lives together. It wasn’t just Raphael’s stories of his life. It was how the man spoke to Evan, how he took care of him, how he reacted to the things Evan had confessed to him. He found that the more Raphael spoke, the more he was falling in love with him.

  Evan took a deep breath and looked at his mate. “After I escaped, I spent close to thirty years traveling around, taking any odd job I could. I landed in a small town. What’s now known as Albuquerque. There was a sign in the window of the saloon for a porter. I went in, and I got the job. It was a lot of backbreaking work, but the pay wasn’t bad for that time, and it came with a room and one meal a day. It was just me, and I didn’t have much, so I stayed. I was there about five years when the most handsome man I had ever seen up to that point, walked in. He was some big banker, and he was looking into opening a bank there. Anyway, he let me know that he was interested in me, and he wined and dined me. I was so enamored by him. I had never met anyone like him before. He was educated and sophisticated, and I couldn’t believe he wanted me.

  “Of course, we needed to keep our true relationship a secret. We were together for nearly a year when he told me he wanted to try something. He had been away on a business trip and had learned something while he was away. It turned out to be BDSM. I had no idea what that was, and I wanted to make him happy, so I said yes. The minute he shackled me to the rafter in that barn, I started to panic. All I kept remembering was that day with my parents. I asked him to please release me, that I couldn’t do whatever it was he wanted. He just laughed and cut all my clothes off. He started to whip me, and I screamed as loud as I could, but that only seemed to light a fire in him. After what seemed like hours, there was a low, deadly growling coming from outside.

  “He stopped what he was doing, picked up his rifle, and went out to see what it was. As he left through the one door, the door in the back eased open and a large wolf snuck in. He shifted and came to me. He got me out of my binds and carried me out of the barn. We made it a few yards into the forest when we heard Marcello back in the barn, screaming and cussing. The wolf told me to shift so that w
e could get away, but I was too hurt to shift. He carried me a little farther and found a cave. We hid out there for two days until I was strong enough to shift and I could fully heal.”

  Evan shifted in his seat and stared into the flames in the fireplace. “His name was Luka, and he was beautiful. Luka had heard my screams and had smelled that I was a wolf. Anyway, we ended up leaving there together. I couldn’t go back to my job or to even get my stuff because I was afraid Marcello would find me. Luka and I traveled around together for two years before we landed in this nice town in Texas on the Gulf of Mexico, what’s now Galveston. It was a great place. We found jobs easy enough and then a place to stay that wasn’t too expensive. We were doing great, except for one thing―Luka was a tortured wolf. He had a lot of demons, and he suffered greatly. When one of his episodes hit, he was a completely different person. He became very angry and just wanted to hunt and hurt any alpha and beta he could find.

  “His birth pack had found out about his being gay when he was fourteen. His parents had handed him over to their alpha, and the man spent ten years torturing Luke, trying to get the demon out of him. That’s what they called his being gay. They were convinced his body had been taken over by demons and that that’s why he liked boys. The things he said they did to him broke my heart, and yes, before you ask, Luka and I were lovers. I loved him very much. I tried everything I could to help him and heal his mind, but nothing I tried worked.

  “When he wasn’t having one of those episodes, he was the kindest, gentlest soul I had ever met. He was such a beautiful person. Then one day as we were walking to work and I spotted Marcello, and he saw me. He got this evil look in his eye, gave me this chilling smile, and then walked away. Luka hadn’t seen him, and when I told him, he said that maybe it wasn’t him. Maybe it was someone who looked like him, but I knew it was him. After two weeks and I never saw him again, I thought maybe Luka was right, and it was just someone who looked like him.”

  Evan sighed heavily and looked down at his lap. “Three days later, Marcello found me. He grabbed me one night as I was walking home and dragged me off into the woods. I tried to fight him. I knew I could take him, but there were too many humans around. So I figured I would bide my time and wait until we were alone. He dragged me into the woods, but there were five men waiting there for us. I knew I was screwed. Two of them grabbed for me, and I panicked. I shifted and started to attack them. I ended up killing Marcello and three of those other men. The other two got away before I could attack them. I made my way back home, hiding in the shadows. When I reached the door, I scratched against it, and Luka opened the door and found me beaten and bloody.

  “After a few days of healing, Luka said it was time to go. He had heard talk around the town that two guys were looking for me, and they were telling everyone that I was a wolf. Most thought they were crazy, but a few believed them. Luka overheard them talking about finding me and taking me into the center of town to show everyone the monster that I was, and to kill me. So once night fell, we left. We traveled around again until we found another nice town somewhere on the coast of Mexico. We were there for a year and then moved on again.

  “We were together for almost thirty years. I was about eighty-seven then, and Luka was fifty-nine when that horrible night came. We were living in San Francisco and had been there for about three months when the betas of the local pack came to see us. They said that the alpha wanted us brought to him right away because we were in his territory without his permission. We tried to explain that we were just passing through, but it didn’t matter. They brought us to the alpha, and he told us that we could stay, but we had to pledge our allegiance to him. We would also have to each fight one of his betas so that he could see if we would be an asset to his pack. If we lost, then we could stay, but we would have to give him half of our earnings.”

  Evan sat back against the couch and rested his head back, then closed his eyes as the tears came again. “Neither of us wanted to fight or join their pack. Luka started to shake and I could see that one of his episodes was starting. Over the years, they had come less frequently, but being in the presence of this alpha brought everything back to him. He started screaming at the alpha that he wasn’t going to give him shit and the alpha could suck his cock. The alpha was furious. He shifted and attacked Luka. Luka shifted, and their battle began. They were both ripping and tearing each other apart. I stood there frozen, not knowing what to do. I couldn’t jump in to help Luka. Then the alpha pinned him and wrapped his teeth around Luka’s neck. He was waiting for Luka to submit, but he wouldn’t. I begged and pleaded for the alpha to stop, that Luka had had a bad experience with a former alpha, but he wouldn’t listen.

  “The alpha released Luka’s throat and shifted. He looked down at Luka with anger in his eyes and ordered him to submit. Luka shifted back, told the alpha to fuck himself, and spat in his face. The alpha shifted and ripped Luka’s throat out. I sank to my knees and cried. Once again, I had lost someone who loved me. The betas dragged me to stand in front of the alpha. He told me I had twenty-four hours to leave his territory or I would be forced to join their pack and he would make me a pack slave. I shifted and ran. I couldn’t even take Luka’s body with me.” Evan shook, and he sobbed uncontrollably.

  Raphael stood and picked Evan up. He carried him up to the bathroom and sat Evan on the closed toilet lid. He moved over to the claw-footed tub and turned the water on. As the tub filled, Raphael stripped off his clothes and then Evan’s. Evan was no longer crying, but his body was limp and his eyes held this far-off look, like he was numb. Raphael turned off the water and returned to Evan, picking him up. Raphael moved them to the tub and he climbed in, sitting back against the porcelain. He arranged Evan so he was sitting between his spread legs, with his back to Raphael’s front. Raphael wrapped his arms around Evan and held him.

  They stayed like that without saying a word until the water turned cold. Then Raphael let some of it out and refilled it with hot water. After another ten minutes, Evan finally broke the silence. “Why don’t you hate me?” he asked in a whisper, and his voice sounded so broken.

  Raphael chuckled lightly and grabbed the bar of soap. He started to wash Evan’s stomach and chest. “I told you I could never hate you. No matter what you told me.”

  “But I killed three humans. I exposed our kind to them.”

  “You did what you had to do to survive. Those men were going to hurt you. They did hurt you, and who knows what they would have done to you had you not been a shifter and were able to fight back. I doubt that Marcello was there to sell you cookies. He had his men waiting in the woods for you. I can only guess at the atrocities they would have inflicted on you. I’m glad you were able to fight and get away to safety.”

  “But won’t Micah have to banish me now? I exposed my wolf to those humans and killed them. That’s a death offense in our world. And what will happen to my boys? Will you take care of them for me?” Evan asked in a panic and sat forward enough to turn and look at Raphael with eyes wide in fear.

  “I would be more than happy to look after your boys, but I want you by my side when I do it. Don’t you see how perfectly we were made for each other? For over two hundred years, I have taken in cubs that have needed me, and that’s what you have been doing. After we mate, we can do it together,” Raphael explained calmly as he washed Evan’s arms.

  “What about Micah?”

  “What about him?” Raphael asked with a laugh.

  “There is no way he would want me mating his father. Me, a murderer.”

  “You are not a murderer. It was self-defense―”

  “No. They hadn’t done anything to me yet. I saw those men and panicked. I shifted and attacked them first.”

  “Were you afraid for your safety? Were you afraid for your life?”

  “Yes, but I attacked first.”

  “No. Marcello did. He grabbed you and dragged you off into the woods where he had men waiting for him. Your instincts told you there was danger.
You protected yourself, and as for the two who got away that you exposed yourself to, you said it yourself, no one believed them except for a few, and then you and Luka disappeared. The ones who believed them probably didn’t for long once they couldn’t prove it. You have done nothing wrong, Evan.

  “In everything you have told me, you have done nothing wrong. You put yourself out there and gave others love. Sometimes it came back to you and sometimes it didn’t. From what you said, Luka loved you but he couldn’t get past his demons. His fear destroyed him, his memories, and Marcello was an evil man who thought he was above others. I know the type. I have seen them many times in the humans and other alphas, especially the ones who are captains of industry or who have wealth. You have done nothing wrong, mate. You have only done what you had to do to survive.”

  Evan’s eyes filled with tears again as he listened to what Raphael said. He couldn’t believe the man didn’t hate him. All Raphael had done was show him care and compassion. How did he get so lucky as to find this incredible man as his mate? “So you don’t want to reject me?”

  Raphael lifted one wet hand and cupped Evan’s cheek. It felt so good that Evan leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes to meet his mate’s gaze, he only saw understanding and love. “Of course I am not rejecting you. You are a wonderful man, Evan. I’m proud to have you as my mate. That is, if you’ll have me?”

  Evan smiled and dove against Raphael’s chest, wrapping his arms around his neck and pressing their lips together. “Of course I want you. You haven’t even claimed me yet, and you are the most wonderful mate in the world to me. I don’t deserve you.”

  “None of that, mate. Of course you deserve me. It is I who isn’t worthy of you. If you’ll have me, I will spend the rest of my life helping you to heal and to see that what I say about your past is the truth. I will do everything in my power to make you happy.”